Scaffold-supporting bracket for a concrete wall form

ABSTRACT

A unitary one-piece scaffold-supporting bracket for a concrete wall form, which requires no fastening devices or other concrete hardware for its installation on the form, and which automatically locks itself in position at the time it is applied to the form.

[ 1 Oct. 17, 1972 1/1940 Bosc'o................249/219 W X 10/1951Yoshimoto................248/235 3/1912Knoerzer...................248/235 8/1898 Miller.......................248/235 7/1971 Hutchinson..............182/82X FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS Germany...................248/235 ABSTRACT -piecescaffold-supporting bracket for a which requires no fastening 4 Claims,5 Drawing Figures United States Patent Shoemaker [5 SCAFFOLD-SUPPORTINGBRACKET 2,188,400 FOR A CONCRETE WALL FORM 2,573,086 [72] Inventor:James C. Shoemaker, Hampshire, 1920358 In 609,287 3,595,510 [73]Assignee: Symons Corporation, Des Plaines,

221 Filed: Feb. 12, 1971 1, 4,3 4 1 /1969 Appl' llsooz PrimaryExaminer-J. Spencer Overholser Assistant Examiner-B. D. Tobor [52] US.Cl. ..................249/189, 182/82, 248/235, At n yrm H- G a h249/219 W [51] Int. 3/08 [57] [58] Field of Search.182/82' 248/235-249/189 205 A unitary one 249/210, 219 W, 219 R, 25/131 R, 131 Pconcrete wall form devices or other concrete hardware for itsinstallatio [56] References cued on the form, and which automaticallylocks itself in UNITED STATES PATENTS position at the time it is appliedto the form. 2,833,503 5/1958 Harshbarger..............248/235 PATENTED17 I97? 3.698.680

IN VENTOR.

JAMES C SHOE/VAKER SCAFFOLD-SUPPORTING BRACKET FOR A CONCRETE WALL FORMThe present invention relates generally to concrete wall forms and hasparticular reference to a novel scaffold-supporting bracket which, incombination with a series of similar brackets that are strung along oneside of a concrete wall form, serves to support the usual woodenscaffold planking as well as to make provision for replacement andsupport of a post for a horizontal guard rail.

I-Ieretofore, in connection with wooden concrete wall forms, andparticularly gang forms, the installation of scaffolding at the sides ofthe forms has been largely a matter of individual scaffold erection inthe field, involving the cutting and fitting of lumber in an empiricalmanner or fashion. Scaffolds thus erected are not readily susceptible todismantling operations inasmuch as they must be forcibly knocked down,and by such a procedure, most of the lumber, and particularly thatportion of the lumber which supports the scaffold planking, is eitherdamaged beyond the possibility of reuse in a succeeding scaffoldinstallation or it is no longer dimensionally correct for such reuse ina different concrete wall form installation. In addition to this, theerection and dismantling of such scaffolding is a time-consumingoperation and involves a considerable degree of skill, particularly inconnection with work involving carpentry.

The present invention is designed to overcome the above-notedlimitations that are attendant upon the construction of separate orindependent concrete wall form scaffolding as it is currently practiced,and toward this end, the invention contemplates the provision of a novelunitary metal scaffold-supporting bracket for use with a wooden concretewall form, particularly thattype of concrete wall form which employslaterally spaced, vertically extending wooden strongbacks which fitagainst a series of vertically spaced, horizontally extending, walerboards, the latter, in turn, filling against the outer side of theplywood or other paneling which is associated with one side of the wallform. The scaffoldsupporting bracket of the present invention, when usedin connection with such a concrete wall form, is possessed of aself-locking feature whereby it may be placed in position on one of theform sides by a simple manual operation, the completion of thisplacement and positioning operation serving automatically to lock thebracket securely in its operative plank-supporting position withoutnecessitating the use of extraneous fastening devices, the bracket thenbeing ready for immediate placement thereon of the scaffold planking anda guard rail post. After the bracket has served its purpose and thescaffold planking and post have been removed, the bracket may be liftedfrom its installed position on the associated concrete wall form side bymerely reversing the original installation procedure, whereupon theinterlock between the bracket and said concrete wall form side isreleased for bracket removal purposes. Because of the fact that thescaffold-supporting bracket of the present invention is of unitaryconstruction and consists of various metal parts which are weldedtogether to provide a permanent and reuseable unit, construction of thebracket may be accomplished at the factory rather than in the field.Accordingly, the improved brackets may be manufactured in quantity on alarge scale and shipped to the field for use thereat in variousinstallations, regardless of whether such installations are identical orof a similar nature, or whether they are totally different wall forminstallations, the only requisite being that they employ conventionalvertically extending strongback lumber which is relied upon for properbracket installation. The provision of a scaffold-supporting bracketsuch as has briefly been outlined above and possessing the statedadvantages, constitutes the principal object of the present invention.

The provision of a scaffold-supporting bracket which is comprised solelyof conventional metal stock parts which are suitably welded together inorder to produce the finished article and, therefore, may bemanufactured at a low cost; one which is'rugged and durable and will,therefore, withstand rough usage; one which is possessed of no movingparts and, therefore, is unlikely to get out of order; one which iscapable of installation without the use of tools; and one whichotherwise is well adapted to perform the services required of it, arefurther desirable features which have been borne in mind in theproduction and development of the present invention. I

Other objects and advantages of the invention, not at this timeenumerated, will readily suggest themselves as the nature of theinvention is better understood from a reading of the following detaileddescription.

The invention consists in the several novel features which arehereinafter set forth and are more particularly defined by the claims atthe conclusion hereof.

In the accompanying single sheet of drawings forming a part of thisspecification or disclosure, one illustrative embodiment of theinvention is shown.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a conventional concrete wallform, such view showing a series of the improved scaffold-supportingbrackets operatively applied to one side thereof;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the scaffold-supportingbrackets, such view illustrating the manner of application of thebracket to one side of the concrete wall form of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the scaffold-supporting bracket ofFIG. 3, such view being on a reduced scale;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the scaffold-supporting bracket of FIG. 3;and v FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG.4.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and in particular to FIG. 1, aconventional concrete wall form 10 is shown as having a horizontalseries of the improved scaffold-supporting brackets operatively appliedto one side thereof in longitudinally spaced relationship and at thesame horizontal level, such brackets being designated or identified bythe reference numeral 12. The brackets 12 are provided for the purposeof supporting thereon and therebetween wooden scaffold planking 14 whichmay be in the form of lengths of 2 X 8 inches or 2 X 10 inches lumber.As shown in FIG. 1, the planks of scaffold planking 14 are arranged insideby-side relationship as is customary in connection with scaffoldplanking. The brackets 12 also make provision for supporting a series ofvertical posts 16 along which a guard rail 18 in the form of a chain,rope, or other flexible instrumentality may be draped as also iscustomary in connection with the erection of a scaffold of the typeunder consideration.

As previously stated, the concrete wall form is of a conventional typeand is comprised of a pair of opposed, spaced apart sides and 22 ofsimilar design and construction. Each side is comprised of a plywoodfacing 24, to the outer surface of which there is applied a series ofhorizontal walers 26, the walers being secured by nails 28 or otherfastening devices to the adjacent plywood facing 24. The various walers26, in turn, are secured to a series of laterally spaced, verticallyextending strongbacks 30, the latter preferably being in the form oflengths of 4 X 6 inch lumber, the securing means for the strongbacks andwalers being in the form of long nails 32' which pass from inside theform through the plywood facing 24. Across the top of the form there isprovided a series of conventional, horizontally extending, tie barspacers 34 which are secured to the upper ends of the strongbacks bywing nut devices 36. Additional spacing or spreading means in the formof conventional tie rods (not shown) may be employed for maintaining thetwo form sides 20 and 22 in their proper spaced apart relationship.

Still referring to FIG. 1, and additionally to FIGS. 2 to 5, inclusive,the various scaffold-supporting brackets 12 are identical inconstruction and, therefore, a description of one of them will sufficefor them all. In the following description, reference to a singlescaffoldsupporting bracket 12 will be made on the basis of the positionwhich it assumes with respect to the wall form side to which it isattached and on which it is mounted. The bracket 12 is comprised of anumber of commercially available lengths of angle bar stock and flat barstock which are cut to size, shaped, and welded together according tothe present invention. Said bracket 12 involves in its generalorganization a horizontal plank-supporting arm 40 which is in the formof an angle bar and embodies a horizontal flange 42 and a dependingvertical flange 44. The inner end of the arm 40 is adapted to besupported from one of the horizontal walers 36 by means of an anglepiece 45 which, because of its function as will be describedhereinafter, is termed herein as a locking bar. This locking bar 45 isprovided with an upstanding vertical flange 46 and a horizontal flange47, the inner end of the arm 40 being welded to one end of the flange 46of the locking bar as indicated at 48.

When the bracket 12 is operatively applied to the adjacent or associatedside 22 of the concrete wall form It), the horizontal flange 47 of thelocking bar 45 rests flat on the upper flat side edge of the subjacentwaler 26 as clearly shown in FIG. 2, and the locking bar extends behindthe adjacent strongback 30 with the inner end portion of the verticalflange 44 of the arm 40 bearing against one vertical edge of suchstrongback. The locking bar 45 of the bracket 12 overhangs the proximateend of the plank-supporting arm 40 somewhat in excess of the width ofthe strongback 30 so that an end portion 49 of the bar is exposed on theside of the strongback that is remote from the arm 40. The verticalflange 46 of the locking bar 45 is slit vertically as indicated at 50,and the end region of the flange 46 beyond the slit is bent outwardly ata small angle to provide a locking tongue 51. The inner edge of thislocking tongue 51 bears against the adjacent side edge of the associatedstrongback 30, and since the inner end of the vertical flange 44 of thearm 40 bears against the opposite side edge of the strongback, thelocking bar 45'and, consequently, the bracket 12 as a whole, is

prevented from longitudinal shifting with respect to the 2 form ineither direction.

The outer or distal end of the plank-supporting arm 40 is supported bymeans of a diagonalbrace 52. This brace is preferably in the form of anangle bar and embodies a downwardly extending flange 54 and a laterallyextending flange 56. The upper end of the downwardly extending flange 54of the brace 52 is cut away at an angular bias as indicated at 58 inFIG.2 and the outer side face of said upper end of the flange 54 is weldedas indicated at 59 in FIGS. 2 and 3 to the cutter side face of the outerend of the vertical flange 44 of the plank-supporting arm 40. The lowerend of the downwardly extending flange 54 of the diagonal brace 52 iscut away at an angular bias as indicated at 60 and the lower edges ofboth flanges 54 and 56 are welded as indicated at 62 to the bightportion 64 of a saddle member 66, the latter being formed from flatmetal bar or strip stock and having parallel, inwardly extending sidelegs 68 in addition to the bight portion 64. The side legs 68 of thesaddle member of the bracket 12 straddle the adjacent strongback 30below the level of the locking bar 45 and dual-headed nails 70 projectthrough small nail holes 72 in the central portions of the side legs 68and serve to hold the saddle member 66 in position on the strongbackwith the bight portion 64 lying flat against the outside face of thestrongback 30.

A vertical strut 74 of flat metal strip or bar stock extends between themedial regions of the plank-supporting arm 40 and the brace 52 and hasits upper end welded as indicated at 75 to the depending vertical flange44 of the arm 40 and its lower end welded as indicated at 76 to thedownwardly extending flange 54 of the diagonal brace 52. A slight offset78in the central portion of the brace 52 compensates for themisalignment of the general planes of the two flanges 44 and 54.

At the outer end of the arm 40, there is provided a generallyrectangular post-receiving socket 80, this socket existing by reason ofa generally U-shaped member 82 comprising a pair of spaced apart sidelegs 84 and a flat bight portion 86 between the inner end regions of thetwo side legs. The outer edges of the side legs 84 of the socket arewelded as indicated at 88 to the outer end portion of the verticalflange 44 of the arm 40, the extreme outer portion of the horizontalflange 42 being cut. away to expose the socket 80 which otherwise wouldbe covered by this flange. The axis of center line of the socket 80 isvertical and the socket is adapted to receive therein the lower end ofone of the previously mentioned vertical posts 16, the one post beingpre-formed with a reduced lower end 90 which establishes a downwardlyfacing shoulder for preventing the post from sliding downwardly in thesocket.

in applying the scaffold bracket 12 to the side 22 of the concrete wallform 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1, the locking-bar 45 of the bracket isapplied to the selected waler 36 by first inclining or tilting upwardsthe arm 40 at an angle of 30 or 45 and then causing the outer or distaledge of the horizontal flange 47 of the. locking bar to rest on theupper side edge of the subjacent waler 36. Subsequently, the locking bar45 is slid endwise in the direction of the adjacent strongback 30 inprevails in determining the overall horizontal extent of the flange.This extent is thus less than the distance between the strongback 30 andthe plywood facing 24 so that there is ample room for the locking bar 40to be slid endwise along the subjacent waler 36 and behind thestrongback until such time as the latter is engaged by the inner end ofthe vertical flange 44 of the arm 40. At this time, the arm (andconsequently, the bracket 12 as a whole) is swung or tilted downwardsfrom its inclined position to its normal or regular horizontal position,thus causing the juncture region between the flanges 46 and 47 of thelocking bar 40 to brush or slide against the inner side surface of thestrongback and pass over a dead-center position, the inherent resiliencyof the wooden material of the strongback and of the plywood panelallowing such movement. As the arm 40 is swung or tilted downwards, thelocking tongue 51 swings forwards into interlocking or lapped relationwith the adjacent side of the strongback 30.

From the above description, it will be appreciated that the locking bar45, together with its integral locking tongue 51, constitutes, ineffect, a hook portion on the proximate end of the plank-supporting arm40. This hook portion projects behind the strongback 30 where it becomeslocked to the side 22 of the concrete wall form 10, thereby maintainingthe upper portion of the bracket at a right angle with respect to saidform side.

As the locking bar 45 in connection with downward tilting thereofapproaches its final position as described above, the saddle member 66closely approaches the strongback 30 and the side arms 68 thereof arecaused to straddle said strongback and move to positions wherein thebight portion 68 of the saddle member bears flat against the outer flatside face of the strongback. The nails 70 are than applied in the mannerpreviously described and the bracket installation is thus completed. Itis to be noted at this point that during the downward tilting orlowering of the arm 40 from its inclined position to its horizontalposition as previously described, the locking tongue 51 moves outwardlybeyond the vertical plane of the inner side face of the strongback and,in combination with the vertical flange 44 of the arm 40, confines thelocking bar and, consequently, the entire bracket 12 againstlongitudinal shifting or displacement with respect to the concrete wallform 10.

Removal of the bracket 12 from the concrete wall form is accomplished bythe simple expedient of removing the nails 70 and then swinging the arm40 upwardly, whereupon the locking bar may be slid endwise from itsposition behind the strongback to release the bracket.

The invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of partsshown in the accompanying drawings or described in this specification asvarious changes in the details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore,only insofar as the invention is particularly pointed out in theaccompanying claims is the same to be limited.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by letters patent is:

l. A concrete wall form comprising; in combination, a wall form sideincluding a vertical facing, a plurality of vertically spaced,horizontal walers affixed to the outer side of said facing, and aplurality of horizontally spaced, vertical strongbacks affixed to theouter sides of said walers and spaced from the facing by a distanceequal to the thickness of the walers, and a unitary rigid metalscaffold-supporting bracket removably mounted on said wall form side,said bracket comprising a horizontal plant-supporting arm formed ofangle bar stock, projecting outwardly away from said form side atsubstantially a right angle, and having a hook portion formed of anglebar stock, welded to its proximate end, resting on the upper edge of oneof said walers, projecting laterally and horizontally through the spaceexisting between one of the strongbacks and the panel facing, andencompassing said strongback on three sides, said hook portion includinga horizontal flange having a width which is substantially equal to thethickness of the subjacent waler and bears flat against the upper edgeof said waler, and also including a vertical flange which bears flatagainst the inside face of said one strongback, one end of said verticalflange of the hook portion being provided with a vertical slit and theportion of such flange removed from the plank-supporting arm beingdisplaced in an outward direction with respect to the form side in orderto provide a tongue which, .in combination with the proximate end of theplank-supporting arm, straddles the strongback so as to prevent lateralshifting of the hook portion and bracket with respect to said form side,an inclined brace also formed .of angle bar stock and having its outerend welded to the distal end of the plank-supporting arm, and a U-shapedsaddle member on the inner end of said brace, formed of flat metalstock, having side arms which are provided with nail holes, straddlesaid one strongback, and fit flat against the side edges of the latter,and a connecting bight portion which fits flat against the inner sideface of the one strongback, and a substantially vertical reinforcingstrut having its upper end welded to the medial region of theplank-supporting arm and its lower end'welded to the medial region ofsaid brace.

2. A concrete wall form as wet forth in claim 1 and including,additionally, means establishing a postreceiving socket mounted on thedistal end of said plank-supporting arm and designed for removablereception therein of the lower end of a post for supporting a guardrail.

3. A concrete wall form as set forth in claim 2 and wherein saidsocket-establishing means comprises a U- shaped member formed from flatmetal stock and having side legs with their outer ends welded to thevertical flange of the plank-supporting arm in edge-to-facerelationship.

4. A concrete wall form, the combination set forth in claim 3 andwherein the U-shaped member is disposed on the same side of the verticalflange of the plank-supporting arm as the horizontal flange of such arm,and said horizontal flange is relieved at its extremedistal end regionto expose the socket that is established by said U-shaped member andvertical flange. S

1. A concrete wall form comprising, in combination, a wall form sideincluding a vertical facing, a plurality of vertically spaced,horizontal walers affixed to the outer side of said facing, and aplurality of horizontally spaced, vertical strongbacks affixed to theouter sides of said walers and spaced from the facing by a distanceequal to the thickness of the walers, and a unitary rigid metalscaffold-supporting bracket removably mounted on said wall form side,said bracket comprising a horizontal plank-supporting arm formed ofangle bar stock, projecting outwardly away from said form side atsubstantially a right angle, and having a hook portion formed of anglebar stock, welded to its proximate end, resting on the upper edge of oneof said walers, projecting laterally and horizontally through the spaceexisting between one of the strongbacks and the panel facing, andencompassing said strongback on three sides, said hook portion includinga horizontal flange having a width which is substantially equal to thethickness of the subjacent waler and bears flat against the upper edgeof said waler, and also including a vertical flange which bears flatagainst the inside face of said one strongback, one end of said verticalflange of the hook portion being provided with a vertical slit and theportion of such flange removed from the plank-supporting arm beingdisplaced in an outward direction with respect to the form side in orderto provide a tongue which, in combination with the proximate end of theplank-supporting arm, straddles the strongback so as to prevent lateralshifting of the hoOk portion and bracket with respect to said form side,an inclined brace also formed of angle bar stock and having its outerend welded to the distal end of the plank-supporting arm, and a U-shapedsaddle member on the inner end of said brace, formed of flat metalstock, having side arms which are provided with nail holes, straddlesaid one strongback, and fit flat against the side edges of the latter,and a connecting bight portion which fits flat against the inner sideface of the one strongback, and a substantially vertical reinforcingstrut having its upper end welded to the medial region of theplank-supporting arm and its lower end welded to the medial region ofsaid brace.
 2. A concrete wall form as set forth in claim 1 andincluding, additionally, means establishing a post-receiving socketmounted on the distal end of said plank-supporting arm and designed forremovable reception therein of the lower end of a post for supporting aguard rail.
 3. A concrete wall form as set forth in claim 2 and whereinsaid socket-establishing means comprises a U-shaped member formed fromflat metal stock and having side legs with their outer ends welded tothe vertical flange of the plank-supporting arm in edge-to-facerelationship.
 4. A concrete wall form, the combination set forth inclaim 3 and wherein the U-shaped member is disposed on the same side ofthe vertical flange of the plank-supporting arm as the horizontal flangeof such arm, and said horizontal flange is relieved at its extremedistal end region to expose the socket that is established by saidU-shaped member and vertical flange.